New York Goes Indoors For Fun In Wintertime

March 09, 1986|By William A. Davis, Boston Globe.

NEW YORK — Oblivious to the tourists peering down at them, ice skaters of wildly varying abilities, from highly artistic to extremely exhibitionist, daily twirl and glide around the Rockefeller Center skating rink.

They are outdoorsy exceptions, however, in what is one of the world`s great indoor towns--and never more so than in winter. New York in winter may not be a fresh-air experience, but it is an entertaining and often enriching one.

Traditionally, this is the cultural high season when theaters stage their most important plays, and museums mount major exhibits.

This winter is no exception--except that the cultural fare is exceptionally rich. Broadway, for instance, has come out of its doldrums and now has a string of hits such as: ``The Mystery of Edwin Drood,`` an adaptation of Charles Dickens` last, unfinished novel; ``Big River,`` a musical based on Mark Twain`s ``Huckleberry Finn``; ``The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,`` with Lily Tomlin playing practically everybody; and ``Tango Argentino,`` a dashing Argentinian dance troupe demonstrating that two can tango in a nearly infinite number of ways.

Also, there are some stunning art exhibitions: Lichtenstein, India, the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls.

The Museum of Modern Art features a special exhibit commemorating the centennial of the birth of the late architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, the largest exhibit devoted to his work ever mounted.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has two regal and popular exhibitions,

``The Princely Collections of Lichtenstein,`` paintings, sculpture and furnishing from the private collection--one of the finest in Europe--of the principality`s ruling family; and ``Costumes of Royal India,`` elaborate and often jewel-encrusted court costumes and dresses from Indian princely houses. The Museum of the City of New York has an exhibit devoted to the centennial of the Statue of Liberty, which is being renovated and will be rededicated with massive civic hoopla on July 4.

Another landmark, Niagara Falls, is the subject of an exhibit at the New York Historical Society. The show, the first of its kind, consists of hundreds of paintings, lithographs, photos and objets d`art ranging from a 3-inch-square copper plate to a 10-foot-long oil painting. The works have been done by primitive American artists, visiting Europeans and painters of the local Hudson River School.

Shopping is a popular indoor activity in New York (although there are outdoor pushcart markets, too) and you can spend days marching through the aisles of Macy`s, Gimbel`s and Bloomingdale`s or browsing in one of the toney atrium-style shopping-dining complexes such as Trump Tower. And New York`s world keeps expanding.

One of the latest additions is Pier 17, part of lower Manhattan`s expanding South Street Seaport development. The pier offers, among other things, splendid views of the Statue of Liberty. A $45-million project that opened last fall, Pier 17 now has some 60 shops and restaurants and will eventually have about 90.

New York`s vastness and variety can be intimidating, and deciding what to see and do, when, and how much to spend can be an agonizing process. A new

``private concierge service`` called Manhattan Passport is in the business of making trip planning easy for New York visitors.

Established by Ina Lee Selden, a former teacher and journalist, Manhattan Passport custom-designs itineraries to meet a visitor`s interests, available time and budget. ``We come up with an itinerary with the detail people need to make their way in this seemingly formidable city,`` Selden said.

In existence for a year, Manhattan Passport has organized gallery tours and access to private collections for photo buffs, arranged bulletproof limousines and bodyguards for security-conscious clients and even arranged for one client to see the cast of her favorite soap opera--by making a reservation at the restaurant where they always ate lunch.

The company employs researchers and guides and recommends restaurants and plays. ``Some people want to splurge on hotels and theater but not on food,`` Selden said, ``but we try to send people to places where the price is honest for the service provided, whether a meal costs $6 or $150. Our criterion for plays is whether the audience enjoys them, not what the critics say.``

Many families are reluctant to visit New York because they don`t think there are enough activities for children, she noted, ``but New York has wonderful programs for children.`` Among them, she said, is a Metropolitan Museum tour especially for youngsters and, in good weather, storytelling beside the statue of Alice in Wonderland in Central Park. Manhattan Passport also can arrange, for $80, for a trained storyteller to drop by a hotel room and read the kids to sleep.

Manhattan Passport charges $25 a half hour for time spent planning an itinerary and making the necessary arrangements and reservations, plus expenses such as telexes or messenger delivery.